The measurement data from NDT/NDI instruments used for the routine monitoring of structural integrity must be sufficiently accurate to allow a valid assessment to be made on the condition of the structure under test. Examples of such structures are pipes and vessels which are widely used in the petrochemical and other industries. Examples of measurement or inspection data are pipe wall thickness and other geometric conditions, including, but not limited to, the presence of irregularities (e.g. corrosion, oxidation, etc.) and flaws (e.g. porosity, cracks, etc.).
Presently, some advanced NDT inspection instruments are equipped with graphical display, touch sensitive display (touch screen) and keyboard. In these instruments, touch sensitive displays are often used as a versatile keyboard by displaying virtual keys, which can be activated upon being pressed. Although it represents some major improvements by using these existing touch-screen-enabled instruments, however, in many cases, input methods allowed for users are limited to predefined formats. When this is the case, users cannot make input that does not respect the predefined formats. Most of time, these formats are alpha numeric and are entered by means of a keyboard and/or keys.
Another major drawback of these existing touch-screen enabled NDT/NDI instruments is that information being entered via touch screen is not correlated with graphical display of digital inspection data, limiting the usefulness of the touch screen input.
In NDT applications, one of the most import aspects of user interest is on the graphical display of inspection data, which is often generated based on digitized inspection data. It describes an inspected subject and some particularities of its condition. This information is only valid in a precise context and timing of an inspection session for a precise subject, which together with the acquired inspection data, forms a complete context of the inspection.
When the inspection data is saved in a media for later processing, the user would need this complete inspection context to be able to process, analyze and/or interpret the inspection data. It is a common practice that the user needs to identify the precise context associated with the specific inspection for later reference.
When using digital NDT inspection instruments equipped with graphical display, there are a lot of details and information presented to the user. This is currently available however not convenient to use in most of existing digital NDT inspection instruments. Particularly, it is not always easy, fast and practical for a user to identify and describe a precise element of information displayed on a graphical display and to make notes by using the existing of alpha numeric input formats provided by either touch screen virtual buttons or keyboards.
The specific challenge herein dealt with is to provide a method of combining touch screen (free form) user input information with the information acquired from digital inspection for the specific timing, geometry and context of the inspection session. This will ameliorate the cumbersome maneuvers of virtual or keyboard buttons.
Existing efforts related to usage of touch screen are found in some patents as follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,685B1 discloses a mechanical apparatus that can be employed for usage of a stylus in a handheld application. It does not address the type of information that is allowed to be entered or the link between the stylus entered information and other information available in the instrument.
Patent US20090256817A1 concerns more of a technology enabling the touch screen to sense pressure or touch more effectively and communicate the touch screen input accurately to the processor. It does not deal with providing a solution to link the touch-screen input with specific inspection information.
Patent WO2003090097A1 teaches a system that receives hand written information and transfers this information to some other system by means of an email.
As can be seen, existing efforts do not provide a solution of overlaying, combining or connecting hand-drawn touch-screen input with information acquired from inspection. Accordingly, a solution is much needed to overcome the drawbacks presented by existing touch-screen NDT/NDI instruments which require fixed-form touch screen input and/or do not provide compounded display of the touch-screen input and the inspection information.